Fire In Your Heart
by JessicaStone134
Summary: Leon has had a bad day, but coming home to Natalie makes things all better. As they reflect on their relationship together, Leon realises that he will never find anyone like her again.


**I had bits of this fic planned out in my head, but after watching yesterday's One Tree Hill with Clay and Sara, I knew that I had to fit that in as well. So if you watched it, you may recognise bits and pieces from it. I also took a piece of one of the conversations that Clay and Sara had, as it said what I wanted to perfectly. So I hope you enjoy it. **

Leon unlocked the door into his flat, shaking the rain out of hair, stamping the mud off his boots.

"Nat? I'm home!" he shouted into the flat.

"In the living room!" she shouted back. He shook his coat and hung it on the peg next to the door, placing his boots neatly underneath. He padded through the hall, going into the living room. Natalie was sprawled across the sofa, dressed in her baggy jeans, one of Leon's old sweatshirts, and fluffy socks. Balanced on her hip was a tub of ice cream, in her hand the spoon.

"Hey darlin', good day?" he asked, moving her feet so he could sit on the sofa. Once he was settled, she placed her feet on his lap. His hands started to gently knead them.

"Mmm, same old same old. You?" she asked, licking the ice cream off the spoon.

"Not so good. A member of the public found a body in the park, a child's body. He was only ten years old." Leon said, trying desperately hard to keep his voice strong. That was the worst thing about his job; seeing children like that, all battered and bruised, the life knocked right out of them.

"Honey, I'm sorry." Natalie said, placing her ice cream and spoon on the coffee table before climbing into his lap, burying her head in his chest, her long dark hair tickling his arms.

"It's ok, it's all part of the job right?" he said, kissing the crown of her hair.

"How did things go with Kirsty?" she asked tentatively. She felt Leon stiffen beneath her. "I know you don't like talking about it, especially to me, but its ok you know."

Leon sighed, brushing strands of her hair out of her face, "It was awkward, but that was to be expected I guess. She's probably my closest friend at the station, and I just wish I could go back and erase the whole event."

Natalie smiled sadly, "Well you can't, and you got to face up to it, be an adult about it. Do you like her in that way?"

"Nat, I don't know, I honestly don't know." he said, hanging his head. Natalie got off his lap, scooting to the other end of the sofa, her legs tucked up beneath her.

"Babe, you've got to move on. You can't hold yourself back because of me." Natalie said gently.

"I know, but I'm scared." he admitted quietly.

"I know, and I know that you're worried about what could happen. But please Leon, please, for me." Natalie said tenderly.

"Why should I do anything for you?" Leon shouted, getting to his feet. Natalie just sat still, taking the sudden onslaught. "You _left_ me Nat! You left me on my own!"

_**Slow down, l**__**ie down,  
Remember it's just you and me.  
Don't sell out, bow out,  
Remember how this used to be**_

"_Leon come on! Don't be a pussy!" Leon's brother Ryan shouted. Leon looked down at his brother, who was paddling in the lake. He was on a camping trip with his brother, his best friend Gray, and his brother's girlfriend Carrie. They had gone exploring the area when they had come across a massive lake with a rickety old wooden bridge running over it. Ryan had immediately stripped down and frog leaped over the bridge into the lake. Carrie followed, showing off by doing a perfect dive. Gray had stood on top of the bridge railing, jumped, and dive bombed into the lake. Now it was just Leon left. Leon hated heights._

"_I don't know, it looks a long way down!" he shouted down to his brother._

"_Leon, seriously, just do it! It's like flying! And the water is lovely!" Ryan cackled before being dragged under by Gray, then pounced on by Carrie. Leon took a deep breath and climbed over the railing, holding on tightly with both hands._

"_Scared of heights huh?" a lilting female voice came from behind him. He jumped, nearly pitching forward off the bridge. He held on tighter. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He turned round, looking for where the voice was coming from. There was a woman who looked about his age, early twenties, to the left behind him. She had beautiful dark hair, almost chocolate coloured, which curled over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were a dusky blue, standing out from her tanned face. She was smiling; there were two little dimples in her cheek. Leon thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She held out her hand, and Leon took it, quickly shaking it twice before gripping onto the railing again. Her skin was so soft, and he wondered if all of her felt like that._

"_I'm Leon." he said with a smile and a nod at her._

"_I'm Natalie. Nice to meet you." she said with a beam. She peered over the railing, looking at Ryan, Carrie and Gray. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're supposed to be jumping off of here right?"_

_Leon took a shaky breath, "Erm yeah, that was the plan. I don't like heights, Ryan knows that."_

"_Is Ryan your friend?" Natalie asked, leaning against the railing._

"_My brother. That's his girlfriend Carrie, and our best friend Gray. You here camping?" he asked her, looking into those beautiful eyes of hers._

"_No, I live just across through those trees. I come out here a lot to think. There's no-one here normally." she said, looking across the lake._

"_Oh, sorry." Leon apologised; what for he didn't know._

_Natalie laughed, a fruity laugh which made Leon want to laugh too, "Would you like me to jump in with you? A bit of moral support?" Natalie offered. Before Leon could say anything, she pulled off her tank top she was wearing, and slid off her flip flops. Leon averted his eyes, not sure whether he was allowed to look or not. The next time he looked, Natalie was stood next to him on the bridge. She offered her hand to him. "On the count of three?"_

"_Ok, yeah." Leon said with a nod. He placed his hand in hers, moving closer to her._

"_One...two...three!" Natalie shouted, jumping high into the air, Leon right beside her. The air whizzed by them, and with a huge splash, they landed in the lake._

"_Hey, Leon finally decided to join us! And who's this pretty lady?" Gray crowed, swimming up to where Leon and Natalie landed._

"_This is Natalie, she lives just over there." Leon said proudly._

"_Hi, I'm Gray, this numb nut's best friend." Gray said with a smile._

"_Hey, I'm Ryan, his cooler older brother, and this is my girl Carrie. Nice to meet you." Ryan said with a hand raised in greeting. The threesome swam off to the edge of the lake. Leon turned to Natalie._

"_Thanks for that. I don't think I would've jumped in other wise." he said with a smile._

"_You're welcome. Truth be told, I don't like heights either." she said with a giggle. She looked straight into his dark eyes, before wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him gently to the catcalls of Ryan and Gray._

_**I just want you closer,  
Is that alright?  
Baby let's get closer tonight**_

Leon snapped back to the present. He shook his head, trying to clear the images. He sat down dejectedly. "I'm sorry Nat. I didn't mean to shout."

"It's ok, I deserved it really huh." she said softly, pulling him to her as he started to cry.

"I don't want to be like this anymore. I feel like I'm just muddling through life, I want you back Nat, I need you back." he said, swiping at his eyes angrily.

"Leon, baby, we can't be together, it didn't work out did it. But you and Kirsty, you have a chance!" Natalie said, stroking his hair.

"You want me to go to Kirsty? You don't want me anymore?" he asked, hurt on his face.

"Oh no, you know I didn't mean it like that. I just want you to be happy." Natalie said soothingly.

"I'm happy now! Right here, this is me happy." he said, and then laughed with Natalie as he realised that actually, he wasn't acting very happy right now.

"You don't look very happy do you, maybe that's cause I'm here. You don't really need your ex-girlfriend hanging around do you. Maybe that's why you can't move on?" she wondered out loud.

"No, Natalie, you stay with me. I'm not going to let you leave again. We can work it out." Leon said quickly.

"I'm going to get a drink, you want anything?" she asked as she got up.

"A beer please." he said, holding onto her hand, watching it slip through his, again.

_**Grant my last request,  
And just let me hold you.  
Don't shrug your shoulders,  
Lay down beside me.  
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere,  
But one last time let's go there,  
Lay down beside me**_

"_You look so handsome. My very own man in uniform." Natalie said with a laugh as she smoothed Leon's collar down. He blushed and rolled his eyes, but secretly, he was very happy._

"_Well, don't think that I'll be bringing this home with me." he said, kissing her slowly. She broke apart, inches from his face, gazing into his eyes._

"_Why ever not? It would spice things up a bit. And, bring home your handcuffs as well." she whispered into his ear._

"_Don't do this to me now, otherwise I won't want to go to my own graduating ceremony!" he growled into the curve of her neck. She laughed lightly, kissing him again._

"_Fine, but when we get home, that's it." she said, smoothing down her red dress. She slipped on her black peep toe heels, checked her hair in the mirror once more, and slicked on some red lipstick. "Do I look ok?"_

"_You look gorgeous, as always. Hang on, there's something missing." he said with a frown. She looked down at herself, confusion on her face._

"_There is? What?" she asked, looking at him. He smiled at her, a strange smile, as he pulled something from his pocket. He sunk to one knee, offering the ring to her._

"_This. This is what's missing." he said with a smile. In his hand was a gold band, with three stones set in it._

"_Leon?" she questioned, her eyes wide._

"_Natalie, it's about time I made an honest woman of you, don't you think? So, marry me?" he asked her quietly._

"_Oh it's beautiful." she said, almost in a trance, as she picked the ring up gently from his palm._

"_Just like you." he said, almost hesitantly, waiting for her reaction._

"_Yes, yes I will marry you Leon Taylor." she said, a grin splitting her face. He slid the ring onto her finger, getting back on his feet and swinging her round the room._

"_I love you so much." he murmured into her curled hair._

"_Me too, always and forever." she whispered, his lips smothering hers._

_**Oh, I've found, that I'm bound  
To wander down that one way road.  
And I realise all about your lies  
But I'm no wiser than the fool I was before**_

When Natalie came back into the living room, Leon wasn't there.

"Leon? Where are you?" she called. There was a sudden breeze in the room, and she walked over to the doors that led to the small balcony. About to pull them shut, she paused as she saw Leon stood there, leaning against the railing. The rain had stopped thankfully, but it was bitterly cold. "Leon?" He turned slowly to look at her, a small smile on his face. She handed him to beer.

"Thanks. Stand with me a while?" he asked her. She shivered, but moved to stand next to him. He slung an arm around her shoulders, and they both looked out over the glinting lights of their city.

"I miss it here, so much." she murmured.

"Come home then. Stay with me." he said, looking at her intently.

She sighed, "You know I can't Leon. I've moved on, you need to as well."

"Oh Nat please, not this again. Just let it go!" he said exasperatedly.

"I can't, and you shouldn't. You know I'm right, I always am." she teased, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, he chuckled.

"I know you are. Maybe that's why you're so annoying." he teased back, kissing her forehead. He pulled her tighter to him, his head resting on top of hers. "I forgot how tiny you were."

She looked up at him, a glint in her eyes, "I am not tiny. I'm petite, vertically challenged if you will, but not tiny." She hit him lightly in the arm.

"Ouch! For a little person you sure pack a punch!" he said with a laugh.

"Carry on and I'll hit you a lot harder." she said, but stopped abruptly as she heard the song playing on the radio, the music flowing to them over the wind. "Listen." He strained to hear it, but when he did, a sad smile appeared on his face. He took her hand and they walked into the living room. "Dance with me?"

_**I just want you closer,  
Is that alright?  
Baby let's get closer tonight**_

"_Dance with me?" she asked as she walked into the bedroom. The song on the radio, their song, was playing. He got up slowly, pulling her to him close. She placed her arms around his neck, their foreheads touching, their eyes closed. They turned slowly to Paolo Nuitini Last Request. It had been playing on their first date, and then when he had proposed to her, it was playing over the radio. They had christened it their song. They swayed slowly, the silk of Natalie's nightdress warm against Leon's bare chest. He spun her round slowly, capturing her in his arms, where she belonged. She wrapped her arms round his waist, her head leaning against his shoulder, her hair cascading down her back. He head rested on hers, he inhaled the fruity, warm, spicy, familiar smell of her. He would forever remember this moment. He would forever remember this feeling of her in his arms. He would forever have her; always and forever._

_**Oh, baby, baby, baby,  
Tell me how can, how can this be wrong**_

As the song ended, they stayed pressed tight against each other.

"Stay the night?" he whispered into her hair.

"You know I'd love to, but I can't. I have to go soon." she said quietly, holding Leon's face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I do love you you know."

"I know. I love you too, I miss you so much, more and more every day." he admitted, kissing her gently.

"Not a day goes by when I wish I could come home back to you." she confessed.

"Come on, let's go to bed." he said, taking her small hand in his and leading her to their bedroom. He lay down on top of the covers, and she climbed over him, resting her body against his, her head laid on his chest.

"I could lie like this forever, listening to your heartbeat." she said contentedly.

_**Yeah, lay down beside me**_

_She waited in the car, waiting for him to hurry up. She saw him walk out of their block of flats and get into his own car behind her. She turned the ignition on, blowing him a kiss in her rear view mirror. He acted out catching it and pressing it against his heart, making her laugh. He could be such a goof sometimes. She pulled away from the kerb, him following her closely. At one point, another car had come between theirs as soon as they had got on to the dual carriageway, but that was ok, they both knew where they were going. She laughed as she watched him try and overtake the car behind her, trying to catch up with her. She took her eyes off the road for a second, smiling as Leon managed to overtake and take his place behind her as they came off the dual carriageway. She didn't see it coming. It should have stopped, it should have given way like the sign said, but it ploughed right through. It was like her car was attached to the front of the van, curled around it, unable to separate itself from it. The van swerved, trying to avoid hitting the barrier, but it couldn't stop. Natalie's car, attached to the front of the van, smashed into the barrier, the whole left side of the car crumpling. The van made the right side of the car, the side she was on, buckle beneath the force. Finally the van stopped. Leon screeched to a stop, immediately pulling his phone out his pocket, calling for police and ambulance and fire service. He sprinted to her car, her mangled little car which he had told her to get rid of. He couldn't get to her; all the doors were jammed shut from the force. She was right there in front of him, but he couldn't touch her, couldn't hold her, couldn't comfort her. Blood was covering her face, her body, her arms, her legs. He thought she was dead, and exhaled breath he didn't know he had been holding when he saw her twitch. He saw her phone next to her left hand; he quickly dialled the number. The ringing pierced Natalie's consciousness, and her left hand managed to find the phone, gingerly lifting it to her ear._

"_Babe, I'm right here, you're going to be fine." Leon said frantically._

"_Leon? What happened?" she asked, her voice heavy with pain and fear._

"_A van smashed into you. But you're going to be ok, the emergency services are on their way and they'll get you out." he said, trying desperately to reassure her. He saw tears part the blood on her face._

"_Don't let me die." she cried, her whole body shaking with sobs._

"_You're not going to die, I promise." he said, his hand pressed against the glass._

"_I love you Leon, with all my heart. I'll love you forever and always." she said, her voice distorted through the tears._

"_Babe, don't give up." he said, tears running freely down his face. As he waited, he could hear the radio still on in Natalie's car. He almost laughed at the song playing. "Nat, listen to the song on the radio." She snapped back to consciousness, a final smile crossing her lips as she recognised the song._

"_Love you." she whispered, her last breath crossing her lips. And then she was still. _

_**One last time let's go there,  
Lay down beside me**_

Leon woke to a silent flat. He patted the bed next to him; it was empty.

"Natalie?" he called groggily. There was no reply. He got up, his feet finding purchase on the floor, stumbling through to the living room. She was sat, still as a statue on the sofa.

"I have to go now." she said quietly. He was at her side in an instant, his head against hers.

"I don't want to lose us." he murmured.

"You can't erase who we were or what we had. No one can. We burned so bright together. You won't lose that." she murmured, brushing her lips against his.

"I loved you so much Nat." he whispered.

"You were perfect with me. And you always will be. But now it's time to let go. It's okay honey. I love you." she said in a strong voice, smiling at him, the man she loved.

_**Grant my last request,  
And just let me hold you.  
Don't shrug your shoulders,  
Lay down beside me.  
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere,  
But one last time let's go there,  
Lay down beside me**_

_Tears clouded his eyes as he looked down on her. She looked so peaceful, just like she did when she was sleeping. Her dark, curly hair was fanned around her head, stark against the pale cream silk lining. Her face was smooth, her lips a pale pink. She had on that red silk dress she had worn the day of Leon's graduation, the day he had proposed to her. Her hands were clasped together, resting on her chest, her engagement ring glinting against the light. He knelt before her, kissing her cold hands. He couldn't control the sobs and grief that engulfed him, he didn't want to. He wanted to grieve for this woman he loved who was taken from him for no reason; killed by a drunk driver. The candles flickered around him, casting shadows. The fragrant smell from the flowers hung in the church, permeating everything. A song played quietly in the background, their song, the song that had played in so many key moments of their life together. As the song came to a close, Leon took the rings out of his pocket that they would have exchanged on their wedding, two simple bands. He slid her band onto her finger where it settled above her engagement ring. He then placed his own ring in her clasped hands, representing their love, and his heart which she had always had, and always would have. His bowed head was in his hands, his body shaking. He sunk to the floor, lying next to her, his hand on top of hers._

**Song: Paolo Nuitini- Last Request**


End file.
